Around 300 people, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and prominent former democracy activists, gathered at Seoul City Hall to commemorate the historic demonstrations that paved the way for the nation's democratic transition.
The June Uprising saw nationwide rallies against the authoritarian rule of then-President Chun Doo-hwan, eventually forcing the regime to revise the Constitution to restore a direct presidential election system. The protests ushered in a new era of democratization and liberalization in South Korean society.
This year's ceremony carried the theme "Only One Word, Democracy," echoing a line from the 1977 poem "It's Alright Not to be Flowers Now" by renowned poet Yang Sung-woo, who served as a spokesman for the national movement to achieve a democratic constitution. The theme revisits the rallying cry for democracy during the 1987 uprising while conveying a message of unity and coexistence.
